A group of longtime Decatur residents, all African-Americans from the city’s Oakhurst district, spoke for over an hour at Monday’s city commission meeting bemoaning DeKalb County’s high tax appraisals on their homes, while also pleading for a tax cap for senior citizens. Mayor Emerita Elizabeth Wilson, who’s lived in Decatur since 1949, spoke about many of these residents “who built this city” are on fixed incomes and are “faced with the possibility of losing our homes because we can’t afford the taxes.”
Mayor Jim Baskett called the presentation “heartbreaking.” While saying the city couldn’t cap taxes he vowed to pursue a homestead exemption bill with “even more vigor” during next year’s general assembly. Decatur’s homestead exemption bill was defeated in the House last April, which would’ve provided seniors over 65 with low and moderate incomes at least $500 in annual tax savings.
Decatur’s tax digest increased by 20 percent this year, which includes 30 percent new construction and 70 percent existing structures. But Assistant City Manager Andrea Arnold said she doesn’t yet know how many of those existing buildings received reappraisals.
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